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Lee trumps Yankees again; Rangers take series lead

Cliff Lee added to his spotless playoff resume and continued his mastery of the Yankees by outdueling postseason stalwart Andy Pettitte, as the Texas Rangers took the lead in their American League Championship Series behind an 8-0 Game 3 victory over New York.

Josh Hamilton’s two-run homer in the first inning spotted Lee (1-0) with an early lead, and that was all the left-hander needed, as he tied a career-high with 13 strikeouts and allowed only two hits and one walk over eight innings for the Rangers, losers of 10 straight postseason games to New York before a Game 2 victory on Saturday.

Over the past two seasons, Lee has quickly established himself as the standard for pitching prowess in the playoffs. Texas’ midseason acquisition became the third pitcher in MLB history to win his first seven playoff decisions and is the first pitcher with three games of 10-plus punchouts in one postseason.